With an expansive menu that is described as ‘inclusive for all’, it was essential that owner, Kent Barker, invested in the finest quality commercial equipment.
Eight Stony Street is an award-winning restaurant, wine bar and shop based in the heart of Frome – a picturesque market town in Somerset. Energising during the day and relaxing at night, the restaurant is as perfect for a winter evening, as the courtyard is for a relaxing al fresco summer lunch. Serving modern British cuisine, the restaurant specialises in small plates, grills and pizza’s, making it a perfect venue, no matter what time of day. The majority of the food is organic and sustainable.
With an expansive menu that is described as ‘inclusive for all’, it was essential that owner, Kent Barker, invested in the finest quality commercial equipment:
“When we were looking at what the top chefs and best kitchens in Europe are using, there were some brands that constantly got mentioned. In most of our research, the Mibrasa oven was very highly rated and is the oven used by many of my culinary heroes. If the ovens are good enough for them, they’re certainly good enough for us!”.
Kent cites choosing the Mibrasa oven as one of his best decisions:
“Over the last few months, the Mibrasa has become the oven of choice for pretty much everything we cook. From our ‘Market Fish’, that’s caught fresh every day, to our popular vegetarian choices, and amazing steaks, the Mibrasa oven plays a key role in each individual dish. One of the key benefits is the speed in which it cooks, which for a very high turnover venue like ourselves, is a real winner”
The Mibrasa charcoal oven is not just a fantastic quality piece of equipment, but adds an added dimension to food, as Kent describes:
“The flavour you get from the charcoal is incredible. As the oven seals the meat very quickly, it maintains all the flavour inside, whilst the charcoal gives that freshly cooked barbecue flavour to the exterior”.
For Kent, it is not just the fact the Mibrasa cooks well, but also that by having top-quality equipment in the kitchen it also helps attract the right calibre of chefs:
“The chefs love working with the Mibrasa. We have some of the best kitchen equipment in the country so being able to work with an oven like this really helps us both recruit and maintain staff. That leads me on to the build quality! My chefs batter it on a daily basis and it comes out singing every time. We haven’t had any issues with it at all.”
After the success of the Mibrasa at Eight Stony Street, Kent had a Mibrasa oven installed in his two other sites; Wilding in Oxford and Wilding in Salisbury:
“The Mibrasa has become a vital component of our menu at all three locations. Our experience from beginning to now has been seamless. The ovens arrive in great condition, they work from the word go, they are simple to light, and are easy to operate. We love the fact, it makes our lives so much simpler.”
“I would highly recommend the Mibrasa ovens. They have become a vital component of our kitchen and over time our reliance on them has grown even more. I certainly wouldn’t consider opening another venue without the kitchen having a Mibrasa at its heart.”